CP+ 2017: Hands-on with Sigma's newest lenses

Hands on with Sigma's four new lenses

Sigma announced a whopping four new lenses just prior to CP+ 2017, in Yokohama, Japan. As soon as the show opened to the press, we headed straight to the Sigma booth for some hands on time. Three of the lenses announced are part of Sigma's high-end 'Art' series including the 24-70mm F2.8 you see above, as well as a 135mm F1.8 and a 14mm F1.8.

Sigma also announced a 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens which is part of the company's more modestly-priced 'Contemporary' series.

Click through the gallery for hands on photos of each lens and some initial impressions of build quality, size and weight.

Most people talk about the premium ones, when realistically only few people can actually afford them, the 100-400 is the real gem, it will perhaps replace the current 70-300 for many people shooting dx.

The largest lens I carry daily with me (Canon's 100-400mm mk II) is heavier than any of these (weight for 24-70 f/2.8 is not given, but I don't think that will exceed it either) and I am comfortable handling and carrying it with a couple of other lenses, so any of these is fine as far as I am concerned. The 14mm f/1.8 is the only one that I am interested about though. It could be a nice overkill replacement/addition for aurora/other night-time starry skies for which I have used Samyang's 14mm f/2.8, depending on amount of coma and the price.

I think that a small-handed person (like Donald Trump) is possible holding the lenses. Look how small the hands are in relation to the Canon 5D. They make it look HUGE.... I know that the lenses are large but those hands really deceive.

Agree, I think he could hold these lenses but I'm more afraid of this small brain could cause more bad issues...I was planning to buy a Canon 24-70 2.8 for travelling. But if the quality will be as good as the other Art lenses I surely buy that Sigma as I assume this one will be cheaper and has a stabilizer on top.

Here the thing, if people are concerned about weight they need to remember that the Optics in these lenses design wise need to have a larger weight and size to not compromise optical performance. Think of the Sony or even Olympus series of high end lenses on the mirorless system- some tend to dwarf the camera as they are designed bigger to fit in all the necessary requirements of the lens.

LOL! It took me a while, but I get it...the person holding the camera and lens really does have small hands , right...making everything look more ginormous than it should. Very strange.Oh..if our president touched it..I do not want it. His illness may be contagious.

I love how people think these "Art" lenses are a blow to Canon and Nikon, I think the opposite, Canon and Nikon love this. Think about it, these are highly desirable lenses that get great press and many want them. Very often photographer's choice of a camera is based on lenses available for it. So you want the Sigma "Art" lenses, well the bodies they are made for are Canon's and Nikon' s( most people really don't want to use adapters)! I know 3 people who bought D7200s and a D500 just so they could use the 18-35mm f1.8. So Sigma is doing Nikon and Canon a huge favor and helping them maintain their market positions. Ricoh should subsidize Sigma to produce these lenses in K mount. For the K1 that would increase its sales dramatically. So, in other words, dont feel sorry for Canon and Nikon, this is a much needed boost for sales of their camera bodies and along the way, said buyers will end up buying some Canon/Nikon lenses too.

Most people buying these lenses will already have their camera bodies, they are not just going to buy a new body to be able to use the lenses.The people you know who bought the D7200 and D500, to use the 18-35mm f1.8, what were they using before? And also every sell Sigma make is a sell Canon or Nikon could have had.

I would agree to some extent except that they are providing an additional incentive for new photographers to stick to the tried and true duo(Nikon/Canon). The three people a I mentioned were all new to photography(which is what made me think of this). They wanted Nikon(the 7200 people because of excellent value for money, the D500 person because of the AF ability) but because Nikon DX lineup didn't inspire on its own they probably would have went with SONY or Fuji but the Sigma offerings tilted the balance back. I would imagine the same would be true of full frame, the option of these lenses being available for Nikon/Canon makes those systems more appealing. I really hope they make these lenses in Pentax mounts too, Ricoh should incenticize them to do so. In any event, great job Sigma.

The important thing for the camera manufacturers is to get you to commit to them as a brand, they may lose a lens sale here or there but they have many other things to sell you(flashes, etc) and more than likely you'll end up buying a lens or more from them too.

I have one FX body and one DX, but I have much more lenses than the camera bodies. I have paid significantly more amount to the lenses than the bodies. That said, I believe Cankon would prefer taking sustainable commitment from us by selling both lenses and bodies, if Tam and Sigma continue to eat up the segment of the lense market, then Cankon is half eff + ed.

sigma is not interested in losing money?ahahthey are throwing million in the toilet to support the foveon useless dream...they not lose money with amount they not earn so much to invest in it and they prefer investing resources in SAsigma mount......i suspect in addiction cause foveon is sold as landscape dreamer they fear the competition of k1..so considering the fact that they will never sell to canikon...they prefer not to kill foveon sales offering all the lenses the k1 needs.strangely they supported kmount much more when pentax wasn't a player.

Sigma is not in for losing money chosing not to offer for example K-mount lenses but they continue support for their own Sigma branded cameras? That can not be especially profitable? I would buy K-mounted Art lenses if offered, but I will never buy a Sigma camera.

It's a great time to be a photographer. So many great players, so many lenses to choose from.

Just imagine a 14mm f1.8 full frame lens a couple years ago, people would have said "stop dreaming, that will never happen". And yet here it is. With a bit of luck, it will be cheaper than Canon's 14mm f2.8 L while being more than twice as fast.

More choice is never a bad thing, there was a massive price drop on 3 Zeiss lenses following Sigma's announcement ($400, $623 and $951 off on the 18/3.5, the 15/2.8 and the 135/2).

Quote " In laymen's terms, this means that autofocus should be just as fast, and just as accurate in both portrait and landscape orientations." I think you are wrong in your explanation. Orientation does not affect the gravitational forces as the glass elements move parallel to the ground in both instances. Where it can have affect is if you point the camera to the ground or upwards to the sky. Than the motors need to overcame the weight.

"Orientation does not affect the gravitational forces as the glass elements move parallel to the ground in both instances." While the lenses are round, some of the sliding mechanical components are not, and it's very likely the forces would be different depending on orientation.

I think the bigger lens are due to higher IQ requirement from newer FF camera.

Now there are generally 4 kind of gears you can choose from, depending on your picture quality and equipment weight preference. FF with heavy lens, APS-C/Mirrorless with light-weight lens, 1" Compact with lens included, and Cellphone.

Look...I am a fan of Sigmas new lenses...have the 20mm, 35mm and 50mm ARTs...but hey....that thing is GIGANTOR!!!!! (because of the OS?). I will just hold on to my Canon 24-70mm F/2.8L II. Thanks. It is a stellar lens.(Although...it looks like the 135mm and the 14mm ARTs are just as GIGANTOR..and I am definitely interested in those two lenses!!! LOL!~!!)

Edit: I just checked the filter size on the 24-70mm and the 135mm and they are both 82mm which is not crazy large...same as the Canon 24-70mm II...but I think the body is slimmer on the Canon and flares out somewhat to the filter...Not sure why these lenses look so huge in those photos above, but they do!

With that kind of lapidary thinking, I understand why people are throwing away their bulky dslr and buying mirrorrless. There is plenty room between "big Berthas" lenses and cell,phones. We experience a paradox : everyone wants small things and some.manufacturers are producing big, intrusive, heavy stuff with more than 1100/1200 grams lense. I do not understand this. Why not making a small 14 mm with normal front element that can accept normal filters ? What's the point of having a super heavy 135 lens WITHOUT stabilization instead of an excellent f2,8 with stabilization which will always give you much sharper pictures. All this quest for the the ultimate f1.8 or 1.2 is completely irrational

Combat Photographer Nick Nolte in the movie Underfire cannot run with these demons. BTW, Underfire was the best photojournalism movie ever .... EVER ! This was the movie that Nikon showed their mettle ... unfortunately ... after 100th year anniversary .... they are now underfire.

I try not to comment on the,reasons why some equipment is made to a high standard and size, sorry there's a but, what on earth were Sigma thinking of? I mean if you want to give someone a hernia then they've gone the right way about it. Why are they so big?....could imagine a great give away from sigma...there you go sir, congratulations on choosing the 24-70 you also get a lovely lens case and a forklift truck....a fork...what hell for? ...to carry it sir..

When did photographers get so dainty? I can't believe how many people complain about the size and weight of lense like this, which were designed for holding nothing back in the department of image quality. Comparing them to a Zeiss, which is only manual focus, these lenses are comparable in size and they are autofocus.

If you're a serious pro, there's probably a good chance you own a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. This lens is smaller and lighter than those lenses...so stop. Haha

I don't believe my statement is asking for heavier gear. Saving weight is always a welcome bonus to anything I do, but I shoot a 1DX2 and 5D4...all of my glass is f/2.8 or faster except for my 100-400. I also travel the country with my gear. So if I could save weight somewhere, I would love it. But I am also realistic and don't think the world revolves around me. I understand that fast glass that doesn't hold anything back will likely weigh a lot - especially when it's designed to cover the image circle of a 35mm sensor.

Any idea on the weight of the 24-70? I have their 24-105, but really what that 2.8 (especially with OS!) and that lens is a pretty good tank (as our the rest of Sigma's Art line.

But the 24-70 looks like a pretty good size here, so I'm hoping it will actually be lighter than the Nikon/Canon models - That'd be sweet. I assume, being Sigma's Art line, that IQ will be plenty good.

One of the reasons I don't own any Sigma lenses.The Zoom turns in the opposite direction.When working under pressure and things must happen there is no time to think of the lens mounted and the direction you must turn the zoom ring. It must just happen.Nikon user. But I am deffnately going to try the 135mm

it's a " half full or half empty" thing, it's actually the "right " direction for some of us, LOL, and actually I don't have to 'think" but after shooting with both system for over 25 years my hand " just know" what direction to turn, and there is only two to choose from anyway even my memory failed, LOL

If you want good glass on your Fuji, buy fuji lenses. If you want sigma, resell your Fuji body and buy a heavy Canon or nikon, otherwise you will have an unbalanced system which will leave you unsatisfied, I guess because if you bought Fuji bodies, it is mainly for the small weight.

When they mention (This lens is compatible with mc-11) there is no hope that they release an E mount, it looks like this is there strategy for future.It works really well with there modern lenses, but the problem is the extra size and weight that the adapter adds, when we where hoping to have a smaller and lighter lenses for our mirrorless cameras.

I would believe they ought to focus on lenses where E mount brings inherent advantages e.g. size. I would hope some wide angle lenses like 35/2, 16/2.8, 12/2.8, 12-24/4 could be done smaller when designed for E mount. I also believe normal zooms like 18-55/2.8-4 for APS-C and 24-105/4 full frame could benefit from native mirrorless design. Sigma did very well with the 30/1.4

135/1.8, 100-400 and 14/1.8 would be similar size regardless of the mount. As long as the MC-11 & Metabones offer first class support for focusing I am happy. 24-70/2.8 seems to also be one of those lenses that will remain huge regardless of the mount and I am happy with an adapter.

I had a Sony A6000 once. Loved the weight and control. Did not love the lens choices and price.

Was looking at FF mirrorless. I noticed that there is almost no weight difference for similar IQ lens comparing DSLR and mirrorless lens. So the only weight saving is the body. That's how I ended up at Nikon D750 again.

If I want lower weight and not critical shooting, I just use iPhone 7.

There are NO good lenses for the Sony apsc Mirrorrless bodies. Everyone knows that. The 6300/6500 are excellent bodies but lenses are really really bad otherwise it is a long time I would have bought some.

I'd be excited about the 14/1.8 but I can't imagine wanting to carry around a limited use wide angle prime that is heavier than the 100-400. I'm most likely to shoot ultrawide with travel, and it's just too heavy for a travel bag. It's really a shame. I currently use the Samyang 14mm. I'd love to find an ultrawide with autofocus, that's not super heavy and under $1,000. The f1.8 is nice but not really critical as it would primarily be a landscape lens for me. I may ultimately try to new Venus Laowa or Irix, just wish there was another option with AF. (Luckily MF is pretty easy with such wide lenses).

Try manual focus. It's very easy with such a wide lens and its probably more accurate when you know the limitations of the lens' field curvature (that is, where to focus in the field for needed DOF at a given f/stop).

I look at lenses like these Sigmas and drool a bit. I think to myself, "I should pick up a FF body just so I can try some of these Sigma Art lenses and find out what the shouting is all about. In the end, though, I'm getting excellent image quality from my µ4/3 kit and the top lenses in that system. I compare the size of my Olympus 8mm f/1.8 (fisheye) to the new Sigma 14mm f/1.8 (non-fisheye) and I snap back to the reality of size, weight, and any image quality tradeoffs.

That Sigma stuff looks very very good. The size/weight is necessary to get the combination of speed and image quality. I just don't want to carry it around.

These Art lenses are great. Great performance wide open and usually cheaper than Sony/Nikon/Canon equivalents. Worth owning FF for them? Depends. For a pro? Probably. For an enthusiast who already enjoys m43? Nice, but more of an indulgence really. These lenses are beastly.

While I think m43 closes the gap with some premium f1.2 primes, the value proposition they offer is lesser than the Art series on FF. Sure, always nice to have options, but I think m43 shines best with smallish, affordable, f1.7/f1.8 primes.

I fully agree. I actually switched from m43 to APS-C some time ago and while I still consider my bag with one body and 6 lenses with a total weight of about 4 Kg as "lightweight" (at least compared so the bags of some FF shooters), I sometimes dream about my really lightweight m43 bag (still my backup system).

IMHO, a m43 body with one or two f1.8 prime lens the best system you can carry with you in your backpack at any time. It won't take too much space and the weight is negligible. Well, now I'm carrying a 1-inch pocket cam with me, fits into the pocket of my jacket.

Instead, APS-C is great for shootings and travels if you don't want to wear your spine.

Damn, that Sigma 14mm 1.8 looks gigantuan, but still if it should bring the IQ I will certainly get my hands on one and toss my Nikon 14-24 for the new Nikon 16-35 f/2.8 - if it sees the light of day. These are happy days for landscape photographers like myself.

That's exactly what I am trying to do, if that Sigma 14 1.8 is sharp wide open like the other Art lesn and has reasonable COMA under controlled, and that will be my next Astro lens and the 14-24 will need to go find a new home.

I thought that Sigma were the only one to bring a great surprise at CP+ 2017 (the 14mm 1.8).. Until I saw Voigtlander!! OMG! Not only they accepted the suggestion I made by e-mail, changing the 65mm APO exterior design, but they alse brought the best surprise for me! A lens with my favorite focal lengh, a (very) "fast" aperture and a reasonable size (which would hardly be possible if it was an AF lens): the new Nokton 40mm f/1.2! I think it will take some months before they go to the stores, but anyway I'm very excited!

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